Garment hanger

ABSTRACT

In a garment hanger for use while traveling, said hanger incorporates a handle which is pivotally mounted to the integral inclined portions and the bottom rod of said hanger through the use of a fastener, and a retainer is also pivotally mounted to said fastener, and when turned to the side, it is useful for supporting another standard hanger upon which a shirt or other article of apparel is supported. An additional rod is arranged parallel to said bottom rod, disposed slightly upwardly therefrom, so that as a pair of pants are folded over said additional rod and draped around the bottom rod they will be retained securely in place and avoid untimely slippage.

United States atent 91 Atkins GARMENT HANGER [76] Inventor: Jack Atkins, 4408 Cherrydale,

Memphis, Tenn. 38111 [22] Filed: July 11, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 378,155

[52] US. Cl 223/88, 223/94, 211/113 [51] Int. Cl. A47j 51/084 [58] Field of Search 223/88, 89, 91, 85, 94; 211/113, 119

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 445,099 l/l89l Traut 223/85 X 1,105,018 7/1914 Bluhm 223/85 X 1,142,451 6/1915 Morris 223/91 1,184,700 5/1916 McCallum i 223/88 1,429,835 9/1922 Biener I l .1 223/88 1,867,614 7/1932 Cuscaden... 223/88 2,191,714 2/1940 Gustin i 223/85 X 2,198,107 4/1940 Dockstetter 223/88 3,584,746 6/1971 Marchman 223/85 [4 1 Jan.14,1975

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,429,243 5/1969 Germany 223/88 Primary Examiner-George H. Krizmanich Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Paul M. Denk [57] ABSTRACT In a garment hanger for use while traveling, said hanger incorporates a handle which is pivotally mounted to the integral inclined portions and the bottom rod of said hanger through the use of a fastener, and a retainer is also pivotally mounted to said fastener, and when turned to the side, it is useful for supporting another standard hanger upon which a shirt or other article. of apparel is supported. An additional rod is arranged parallel to said bottom rod, disposed slightly upwardly therefrom, so that as a pair of pants are folded over said additional rod and draped around the bottom rod they will be retained securely in place and avoid untimely slippage.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures GARMENT HANGER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawing, FIG. 1 provides a front view of the garment of this in- This invention relates generally to a travel hanger, Vention;

upon which a shirt or other raiment may be supported. 1

Various types of garment hangers have been devised in the prior art, and which are useful for supporting a variety of articles of clothing. Most of these hangers are provided with auxiliary attachments which facilitate their usage for holding various garments, but particu larly are devised for household usage. For example, US. Pat. Nos. 2,186,076 and 1,804,314, disclose various hangers incorporating attachments for facilitating the support of pants. Other hangers, such as shown in US. Pat. No. 2,527,642, provides a pivoted hook which may be turned downwardly to expose a handle portion to facilitate the carriage of the supported garment. The present invention improves upon these prior art forms of hangers mainly by providing additional means for insuring the snug retention of a pair of pants, in addition to providing supplemental means for bolding a shirt or other articleofclothingthat is usually worn with a suit of clothes.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a garment hanger incorporating means for retaining additional standard hangers that may be used for holding clean shirts or the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a garment hanger incorporating improved structure for insuring the snugsuspension of a pair of'pants.

A further objection of this invention is to provide a pivotal mounting for. the cushionedhandle means fora garment hanger which makes cartage of the clothes ladenhanger easier during-travel.

Other objects of this invention willbecome more apparent tothose skilled: in.the art upon revewing the FIG. 2 provides a side view of the garment hanger of this invention;

FIG. 3 provides a sectional view of the various hanger components pivotally mounted upon a fastener means,

0 as taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 provides a sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 1, showing the retainer means of the invention; and

FIG. 5 provides a side view of the invention, in addition to showing the various pivotal dispositions of the handle and retainer means of the invention, as when in use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In referring'to the drawings, and in particular FIG. 1, there is disclosed the. garment hanger A of this invention including the usual inclined portions 1 and 2 which are pivotally mounted at their upturned upper ends upon a fastener means 3, which may comprise the usual rivet or other usual form of securement. Also pivotally mounted to said fastener means 3 is a handle portion 4 that extends upwardly and formed into a hook or loop, and provided with a cushioning cover 5, as

shown. The approximate downward ends 6 and 7 of the inclined portions 1 and 2 extend downwardly to form vertical portions 8 and 9, which are also integrally formed with a bottom rod 10 to form said garment hanger. An additional rod 11 is retained to the sides of the vertical portions 8 and 9, proximate their upper ends, with said additional rod being maintained parallel summary and thepreferred embodiment in view of the drawing. ,i

SUMMARY'OF TI-IE INVENTION This invention includes a cushioned handleportion which pivotally mounts by means of afastener means to the looped upper ends of the inclined portions of a hanger, while further including an elongated member which likewise is pivotally mounted upon the fastener means and includes an aperture through which a standard hanger may be hooked for-providing carriage of supplemental garments, such as ashirt. Thishanger is particularly useful for traveling, and can be used for supporting a suit in-additionto a clean'shirt, as for example when one is undertaking an overnight business trip. The downward portion of the hanger'includes theusual bottom'rod, but in this particular instance, there is included an additional rod'arranged slightly upwardly from said bottom rod, said additional rod being welded or otherwisesecured to the side of the hanger so as to provide for its slight offset with'respect to said bottom rod. Hence, when pants are draped over the additional rod and incline slightly to the side for resting against the bottom rod, the pants have a tendency to resist slip-- page and remain snugly in place.

withthe bottom rod 10, but arranged slightly upwardly therefrom so as to provide for the insertion of the leg portions of a pair'of pants intermediate therethrough. A retainer means 12 also is pivotally mounted upon the fastener'means 3, and provides for support for supplemental garments, such as one or more shirts, in a manner as will be hereinafter described.

By referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the cover 5 upon the handle portion 4, in addition to the inclined portions 1 and 2 and the bottom rod 10 are substantially vertically aligned. The fastener means 3 pivotally mounting the handle 4 to the inclined portions 1 and 2 of the hanger is shown to be slightly offset, due to the manner in which the upper ends of the inclined portions are looped, as at 13, to provide means through which the fastener means 3 may insert for holding these components pivotally together. Likewise, and by referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the bottom end of the handle portion 4 is likewise bent into a loop, as at 14, to provide a means for accommodating the fastener means 3;

In referring to FIG. 3, the various components that pivotally mount upon the fastener means 3 are more accurately shown, with the retainer 12 being maintained contiguous with the looped bottom end 14 of the handle portion, while the looped upper ends 13 of the inclined portions 1 and 2 embrace the aforesaid contiguous handle and retainer means. To provide for the snug retention of these members pivotally upon the fastener means 3, a pair of washers, as at 15 and 16, may be provided to the sides of the aforesaid looped members, and being retained contiguous wherewith by means of the ends of said fastener means 3.

The retainer means 12, as shown in FIG. 4, comprises a rather elongated shape, and is included with an additional aperture or slot 17 which is useful for retaining the hooked ends of the standard hangers which may be used for supporting supplemental garments such as additional clean shirts or the like. Hence, while the garment hanger of this invention may be used for supporting the suit of clothes, additional garments, such as one or more shirts, may be inserted upon other standard hangers and be hooked through the aperture 17 of the retainer means 12 to provide for their simultaneous carriage.

By referring to FIG. 5, the application of this garment hanger can be more easily analyzed. It can be seen that the handle means 4 and its cover are pivotally mounted with respect to the inclined portions 1 and 2 of this invention. Due to the contiguity and tightness in the relationship of the handle means 4 and the retainer means 12 in their pivotal mounting upon the fastener means 3, as the handle means 5 is pivoted downwardly, the retainer means 12 will likewise pivot simultaneously laterally to provide for its clear exposure, as shown being arranged horizontally, so that the garment laden supplemental hangers may be inserted through its slot 17 and to be carried. Then, as the handle means 4 is pivoted once again upwardly, the retainer means 4 will likewise pivot downwardly for holding said supplemental garments in proximity with the suit being carried.

It should be noted that to facilitate the carrying of thisgarment hanger, as for example during traveling, as the garment laden hanger is held, for example, over the shoulder, its handle means 4 will pivot slightly over the shoulder while the hanger and its clothing is draped downwardly into proximity with the back of the .carrier. It is well known that many travelers carry this type of a hanger means over their shoulder, which apparently is a more convenient and easy manner for carrying such luggage.

Also shownin the downward portion of the garment hanger of FIG. 5 is the relationship between the inclined portions of this hanger, one side as shown at l, and the vertical portions, portion 8 being shown, in addition to the bottom rod 10 and the additional rod 11. It can be seen how the additional rod 11 is secured to the sides of the vertical portions 8 and 9, and when a pair of pants, as shown at 18, are hung upon the additional rod 11, and then inclined to the side for draping around the bottom rod 10, said bottom rod is slightly urged against the pants and provides sufficient friction to prevent their untimely slippage from the garment hanger. As one may well understand, where a pair of pants are equally balanced upon the rod, that the upward portion of the pants will gradually move downwardly sliding the leg portions off of its supporting rod. Such a detriment is obviated through the use of an additional rod as a means for basically supporting the pants, with a bottom rod, such as the rod 10, being urged against the sides of the pants so as to prevent such an untimely slippage.

It is likely that the standard garment bag may be draped over the hanger during usage so as to shroud the retained clothes to prevent their soiling as during transit.

Other variations in the construction of the garment hanger of this invention, within the scope of the appended claims, will occur to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing disclosure. The described embodiment is simply the preferred embodiment, and other variations are intended to receive the benefits of any patent protection to issue upon this basic design.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. in a garment hanger for use while traveling and for supporting a suit of clothing in addition to at least one shirt hanger, comprising, a garment hanger having a pair of inclined portions, at least one rod spanning the spacing between the proximate downward ends of the inclined portions and being integrally connected thereto, a handle portion having a looped downward end, and a retainer means, both said handle portion and retainer means being contiguous with one another and being pivotally connected to the upper ends of said inclined portions, the upper ends of said inclined portions each formed having an integral loop, said looped ends being arranged embracing the contiguous handle portion loop and the retainer means, a fastener means, said fastener means holding said handle portion and retainer means pivotal with respect to said looped ends of the inclined portions, said retainer means comprising an elongated member and having a first aperture therein with said fastener means being inserted therethrough, said retainer means having a second aperture therethrough for insertion of the shirt hanger for providing its support, said retainer means capable of pivoting downwardly as when not in use, and said retainer means capable of being pivoted substantially laterally for insertion of the shirt hanger through its second aperture when providing its support.

2. The invention of claim 1 and including a pair of washers mounted on the fastener means, one of each washer being arranged contiguously against the outer sides of the looped ends of the inclined portions of the garment hanger to retain said portions and said retainer means pivotally together.

3. The invention of claim 2 and including a cover inserted upon the handle portion to provide cushioning while the garment hanger is being carried.

4. The invention of claim 1 and including means for supporting the pants of the suit of clothing, said means including integral vertical portions arranged intermediate the downward ends of the inclined portions and the connecting ends of the rod, an additional rod arranged parallel to said first rod and attaching to the approximate upward ends of said vertical portions, said additional rod provided for supporting the pants when draped thereupon.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said additional rod connects at the sides of said vertical portions and thereby being arranged parallel to but unaligned with said first rod and inclined portions, said first rod disposed for biasing against the supported pants when draped over the additional rod to prevent their untimely slippage while being carried.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein said second aperture of the retainer means comprises an elongated slot for supporting more than one-shirt hanger. 

1. In a garment hanger for use while traveling and for supporting a suit of clothing in addition to at least one shirt hanger, comprising, a garment hanger having a pair of inclined portions, at least one rod spanning the spacing between the proximate downward ends of the inclined portions and being integrally connected thereto, a handle portion having a looped downward end, and a retainer means, both said handle portion and retainer means being contiguous with one another and being pivotally connected to the upper ends of said inclined portions, the upper ends of said inclined portions each formed having an integral loop, said looped ends being arranged embracing the contiguous handle portion loop and the retainer means, a fastener means, said fastener means holding said handle portion and retainer means pivotal with respect to said looped ends of the inclined portions, said retainer means comprising an elongated member and having a first aperture therein with said fastener means being inserted therethrough, said retainer means having a second aperture therethrough for insertion of the shirt hanger for providing its support, said retainer means capable of pivoting downwardly as when not in use, and said retainer means capable of being pivoted substantially laterally for insertion of the shirt hanger through its second aperture when providing its support.
 2. The invention of claim 1 and including a pair of washers mounted on the fastener means, one of each washer being arranged contiguously against the outer sides of the looped ends of the inclined portions of the garment hanger to retain said portions and said retainer means pivotally together.
 3. The invention of claim 2 and including a cover inserted upon the handle portion to provide cushioning while the garment hanger is being carried.
 4. The invention of claim 1 and including means for supporting the pants of the suit of clothing, said means including integral vertical portions arranged intermediate the downward ends of the inclined portions and the connecting ends of the rod, an additional rod arranged parallel to said first rod and attaching to the approximate upward ends of said vertical portions, said additional rod provided for supporting the pants when draped thereupon.
 5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said additional rod connects at the sides of said vertical portions and thereby being arranged parallel to but unaligned with said first rod and inclined portions, said first rod disposed for biasing against the supported pants when draped over the additional rod to prevent their untimely slippage while being carried.
 6. The invention of claim 1 wherein said second aperture of the retainer means comprises an elongated slot for supporting more than one shirt hanger. 